Christmas 7 Day Devo – Jesus, Meekness & Power
To close out the year I decided to send you a 7 Day Christmas Devotional that Kirsty compiled from the God Is Just Like Jesus material.
You will find it attached as a PDF document or you can surf to our web site at http://GodIsJustLikeJesus.com and find it on the Home Page. Please share with anyone you desire! Below is Day 1 of the Devo!
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever!” – Westminster Shorter Catechism
Merry Christmas – Chris & Kirsty Sarris
DAY 1
He (Jesus) had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
(Philippians 2:6-8. The Message)
Jesus, born as a human baby, left his life as God to become a human being (Phil 2:6-11). The One that has always existed, who spoke this rotating world into existence (Gen 1/John 1:10). The One who saw the skies open up and the oceans form, the trees bud and take root, the birds flap their wings for the first time. The One who breathed life into a body made of dust. This Jesus who felt the separation from mankind in the garden comes to man in the most intimate way, bound inside the flesh of a woman.
A human baby, fully man yet fully God, is born into the weakness of humanity yet displaying the power of Almighty God.
As you start to reflect on the heights from which He has descended to become a human, you start to understand the depth of His humility in embracing the human struggle.
In this devotional we will spend some time looking at the life of Jesus before he became a human baby. As we study the scriptures, keep in mind the following verses:
“No one has seen the Father…..” (John 6:46)
“No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (John 1:18)
“God…whom no one has seen or can see…” (1 Tim. 6:16)
“No one has ever seen God…” (1 John 4:12)
“He is the image of the invisible God…” (Col. 1:15)
These verses clearly lay down the reality that God, the Father, cannot be seen.
Now let’s look at Genesis 17 & 18 where it will become apparent that Jesus is interacting with Abraham. Consider these verses:
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before Me and be blameless.’” Genesis 17:1
“The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.” Genesis 18:1
Since we know the Father cannot be seen, the the God that appears before Abraham – this “mystery man” – comes into clear focus as Jesus before He became a human baby.
The reason why I think studying this is so important is because it drives deep the reality of Jesus’ divinity in detail and brings into focus His absolute humility in becoming human. It’s astounding that He did not just appear on the world scene as a man, but in the fragile form of a baby. In Luke 2:7 we read:
“…she (Mary) gave birth to her firstborn, a son…”
The fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9) is bound within human skin, his body held by splintered wood. This humble appearance on the world scene is the entrance of our God. When we call Him “Emmanuel” – God with us – that is really what He is.
He is God WITH us, not just with us in His Godly form, but with us in the flesh in staggering vulnerability, embracing all the suffering of humanity. He didn’t consider his Deity as a means of escaping this condition but He freely said “I will”.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)
